Designed with glass-reinforced plastic, PALFINGER Blade Access’ workman basket offers a safe and stable working zone for wind technicians in the field.
PALFINGER MARINE, the expert for lifting solutions for the wind industry, introduces the innovative PALFINGER Blade Access (PBA) for onshore and offshore blade inspection and repair. The PBA concept combines the PALFINGER MARINE nacelle crane PK 40002 M with a workman basket, especially developed in close cooperation with PP Techniq as partner.
The basket has space for two technicians and their working tools. With the nacelle crane, the basket is easily lifted into operation and attached to the blade. Following the contours of the blade, the service engineers carry out inspections on their way down and perform repair work on the way up, proving safe and effective.
“Four years ago, the joint team of PALFINGER MARINE and PP Techniq had the idea of developing a safer and more effective blade access solution,” said Bernhard Peintner, Head of Wind Cranes PALFINGER MARINE. “It is very exciting to see our idea becoming a final product that is now gaining its first customers in the market.”
Safe working zone
Compared with the conventional method implemented to date involving the use of rope climbers, the DNV GL-certified PALFINGER BLADE ACCESS solution offers improvement in terms of safety when it comes to the maintenance of rotor blades. Designed with GRP (glass-reinforced plastic), the workman basket offers a safe and stable working zone for the service engineers in the field. Furthermore, the basket is designed to withstand harsh offshore environments.
Senvion placed the first order and will use the PBA in the Thornton Bank I, II, and III wind farms in the southern North Sea in Belgium.
Because of the blade-guided design, which has been successfully patented, the PBA basket follows the contours of the blade and remains at the same distance to the blade at all times. The service engineers in the basket are provided with a stable and predictable lift down and up the blade, while having direct access to electricity and enough space to effectively use a full range of maintenance tools. This means that even complex repair tasks can be carried out while on the blade.
“Safe, effective maintenance work on the rotor blades is crucial to ensure our high-quality standards. By adapting the PALFINGER MARINE crane specifically for our turbines and using it for servicing, we can safely transport both colleagues and their work instruments quicker than before,” said Dirk Reinhold, Head of Maintenance at Senvion.
Less downtime, fast set-up
Using the PALFINGER Blade Access solution, the normally time-intensive handling of equipment is minimized. Transport and set-up can be handled faster and safer than before, which allows the service teams more and effective working hours on the blade — even in the case of bad weather.
Filed Under: News, O&M, Offshore wind, Safety
